Tag Archive for: 2022 Olympic Winter Games

Canadian Skaters Seek Their Olympic Moment in Beijing

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OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will have eight entries for a total of thirteen skaters at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, China. Canada will have two entries in men, two entries pairs, one entry in women, and three entries in ice dance. Competition begins on Friday, February 4, with the team event, and runs through to Saturday, February 19, 2022, with all events taking place at the Capital Indoor Stadium. 

Canadian champion Keegan Messing, 30, Girdwood, Alaska, USA, is the first Canadian entry in men. Messing will be competing at his second Olympic Winter Games, having placed 12th in 2014. This season, he finished fifth at Skate Canada International, sixth at Internationaux de France, and first at the 53rd Golden Spin of Zagreb. Messing is coached by Ralph Burghart in Anchorage, Alaska, USA. 

Roman Sadovsky, 22, Vaughan, Ont., is the second Canadian entry in men. This will be his first Olympic Games. This season, Sadovsky placed second at the 2022 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships, 12th at Skate Canada International, and fourth at Rostelecom Cup. The 2020 Canadian champion is coached by Tracey Wainman and Grzegorz Filipowski in Richmond Hill, Ont.  

Madeline Schizas, 18, Oakville, Ont., will be the lone entry for Canada in women. At only 18 years old, this will be her first Olympic Games. Most recently, she won gold at the 2022 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. This season, Schizas also placed eighth at Skate Canada International and sixth at Rostelecom Cup. She is coached by Nancy Lemaire and Derek Schmidt in Milton, Ont. 

Three-time Canadian champions Kirsten Moore-Towers, 29 St. Catharines, Ont., and Michael Marinaro, 30, Sarnia, Ont., are the first Canadian entry in pairs. This will be the third Olympic Games for Moore-Towers and second for Marinaro. The pair finished 11th at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games. This season, they placed sixth at Skate Canada International and fifth at Rostelecom Cup. Moore-Towers and Marinaro are coached by Bruno Marcotte, Alison Purkiss, and Brian Shales in Oakville, Ont., and Brantford, Ont. 

National pairs team, Vanessa James, 34, Scarborough, Ont., and Eric Radford, 37, Balmertown, Ont., will be the second Canadian entry in pairs. This will be the fourth Olympic Games for James and the third for Radford. This season, they placed fourth at both Skate Canada International and Internationaux de France and garnered a silver medal at the 2021 Autumn Classic International. James and Radford are coached by Julie Marcotte in Montreal, Que. 

World bronze medallists Piper Gilles, 30, Toronto, Ont., and Paul Poirier, 30, Unionville, Ont., will be the first Canadian entry in ice dance. This will be the second Olympic Games for Gilles and the third for Poirier. They finished eighth at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games. This season, Gilles and Poirier placed first at Skate Canada International and second at Internationaux de France. The two-time Canadian champions are coached by Carol Lane, Juris Razgulajevs, and Jon Lane in Scarborough, Ont.   

Canadian silver medallists Laurence Fournier Beaudry, 29, Montreal, Que., and Nikolaj Soerensen, 32, Montreal, Que., are the second Canadian entry in ice dance. This will be their first Olympic Games. This season, Fournier Beaudry and Soerensen placed third at Skate America and third at Rostelecom Cup. They are coached by Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, and Romain Haguenauer in Montreal, Que. 

Marjorie Lajoie, 21, Boucherville, Que., and Zachary Lagha, 22, Saint-Hubert, Que., will be the third ice dance entry representing Canada. This will be the first Olympic Games for Lajoie and Lagha. This season, they placed sixth at Skate Canada International and fifth at NHK Trophy. The Canadian bronze medallists are coached by Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, Romain Haguenauer, Pascal Denis, and Josée Piché in Montreal, Que. 

Dr. Shae Zukiwsky, Senior Director, Performance Excellence and Mike Slipchuk, Skate Canada High Performance Director will be the team leaders at the event. Dr. Laura Cruz and Physiotherapist Josiane Roberge will be the medical team on-site.   

 

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT THE 2022 OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES – BEIJING, CHINA 

MEN 

Keegan Messing (30) / Girdwood, Alaska, USA / Ice Palace FSC / Coached by Ralph Burghart 

Roman Sadovsky (22) / Vaughan, Ont. / York Region Skating Club / Coached by Tracey Wainman and Grzegorz Filipowski 

WOMEN 

Madeline Schizas (18) / Oakville, Ont. / Milton Skating Club / Coached by Nancy Lemaire and Derek Schmidt 

PAIRS 

Kirsten Moore-Towers (29) and Michael Marinaro (30) / St. Catharines, Ont. and Sarnia, Ont. / Skate Oakville / Coached by Bruno Marcotte, Alison Purkiss, and Brian Shales 

Vanessa James (34) and Eric Radford (37) / Scarborough, Ont. and Balmertown, Ont. / EPJM and C.P.A. Saint-Léonard / Coached by Julie Marcotte 

ICE DANCE 

Piper Gilles (30) and Paul Poirier (30) / Toronto, Ont. / and Unionville, Ont. / Ice Dance Elite, Scarboro FSC / Coached by Carol Lane, Juris Razgulajevs, and Jon Lane 

Laurence Fournier Beaudry (29) and Nikolaj Soerensen, 32 / Montreal, Que. / Town of Mount Royal FSC / Coached by Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, and Romain Haguenauer 

Marjorie Lajoie (21) and Zachary Lagha (22) / Boucherville, Que. and Saint-Hubert, Que. / CPA Boucherville and CPA Saint Lambert / Coached by Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, Romain Haguenauer, Pascal Denis, and Josée Piché 

 

13 Figure Skaters Nominated to Represent Team Canada at Beijing 2022

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OTTAWA (January 9, 2022) – Skate Canada and the Canadian Olympic Committee have nominated 13 athletes to compete in figure skating at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games.

The athletes and coaches nominated are:

Ice Dance

Laurence Fournier Beaudry (Greenfield Park, Que.) and Nikolaj Soerensen (Montréal, Que.)
Piper Gilles (Toronto, Ont.) and Paul Poirier (Unionville, Ont.)
Marjorie Lajoie (Boucherville, Que.) and Zachary Lagha (St-Hubert, Que.)

Men’s Singles

Keegan Messing (Girdwood, Alaska)
Roman Sadovsky (Vaughan, Ont.)

Pairs

Vanessa James (Montréal, Que.) and Eric Radford (Balmertown, Ont.)
Kirsten Moore-Towers (St. Catharines, Ont.) and Michael Marinaro (Sarnia, Ont.)

Women’s Singles

Madeline Schizas (Oakville, Ont.)

Coaches
Ralph Burghart (Anchorage, Alaska) – Coach
Pascal Denis (Repentigny, Que.) – Coach
Nancy Lemaire (Milton, Ont.) – Coach
Julie Marcotte (Beloeil, Que.) – Coach
Alison Purkiss (Brantford, Ont.) – Coach
Juris Razgulajevs (Ajax, Ont.) – Coach
Tracey Wainman (Markham, Ont.) – Coach

Selection was based on international results and scores from the past two seasons and at the 2022 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships.  

Team Canada earned Olympic quotas through skaters’ placements at the 2021 World Figure Skating Championships this past March.

“For us, this is really a moment of honour,” said Paul Poirier, reigning world bronze medallist in ice dance with partner, Piper Gilles. “We had the pleasure of representing Canada at the 2018 Olympics so to qualify for another Games is really something special. We’re vying for the podium, so we’re excited to bring our best skating to the Olympics.”

Gilles and Poirier will be making their second Olympic appearance together following an eighth place finish at PyeongChang 2018.

“We’re extremely proud to represent Canada at the Olympic Games. Being on the world stage and sharing the joy of the sport that we and so many other people love so much, is just an absolute honour,” added Gilles.

6 of the 13 figure skaters will be making their Olympic debuts.

“Going to the Olympic Winter Games is just such a dream,” added Madeline Schizas, who will make her Olympic debut. “I watched the 2010 Games in Vancouver, I watched Joannie Rochette there, and since then it’s just been such a dream of mine and I’m so happy that I was able to accomplish being named to the team.”

Figure skating is one of Canada’s most successful sports at the Olympic Winter Games with 29 Olympic medals, six of which are gold. 

“I am very pleased to welcome the members of the figure skating team to Team Canada,” said Catriona Le May Doan, Team Canada’s Beijing 2022 Chef de Mission. “Canada has had such an incredible history of success in the sport of figure skating and the athletes heading to Beijing have had great mentors over the years. We will continue the tradition of excellence in the sport with this team that is made up of those with Olympic experience and some rookies. The precision and grace that these athletes carry on and off the ice inspire me and I look forward to watching them compete for Canada in Beijing.”

Figure skating will take place February 4 – 20 (Days 0-16) at the Capitol Indoor Stadium kicking off with the team event.

Prior to being named to Team Canada, all nominations are subject to approval by the Canadian Olympic Committee’s Team Selection Committee following its receipt of nominations by all National Sport Organizations.

The latest Team Canada Beijing 2022 roster can be found here and the qualification tracker can be found here.